NEW ORLEANS – After helping lead the Jaguars to three wins last week, including a pair to start Sun Belt Conference play, senior pitcher Devin Brown was named the Community Coffee Pitcher of the Week by the league office on Tuesday.
Texas State's Ariel Ortiz was named the league's player of the week.
For the week, Brown posted a 2-0 record, and didn't allow a run in her 11 innings of work, while giving up just two hits, striking out 16 and walking just one batter. Her performance was also recognized by Louisville Slugger/NFCA on Tuesday.
Brown began the week with two innings of scoreless relief at Southern Mississippi on Wednesday. With runners at first and second in the bottom of the sixth and the Golden Eagles threatening to begin a rally, Brown entered the game and recorded a pair of strikeouts and got Chelsea Nelson to ground out to second to end the inning. Brown struck out the side in the seventh to end the contest. In South's Sun Belt opener, the senior right hander tossed a complete-game, one-hit shutout against UT Arlington to pick up her eighth win of the season. Brown retired the first 13 batters that she faced and recorded first-pitch strikes to 19 of the 24 UTA batters that she faced and got ahead 0-2 to nine batters.
The Mobile native made her second relief appearance of the week in game two of the doubleheader against the Mavericks as she entered the sixth with a runner on in a tie game. Brown was able to get a pop up on a sac bunt attempt and then was helped out by her defense as South turned a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning. With a runner in scoring position in the seventh, Brown was able to induce a ground out to third and a pop out to short to end the threat. The Jags won in the bottom half of the inning on a walk-off home run.
Brown started the third game of the series against UTA on Sunday and looked to be just as good as she had four strikeouts in her three innings of work, but the game was halted and eventually cancelled due to weather.
The weekly award marks the first time this season and the 12th time in her career that Brown has been honored.
Brown won the weekly award three times last season, five times as a sophomore and twice during her freshman campaign. Prior to the start of this season, Brown was a preseason all-conference selection for the third time in her career, while also being named to USA Softball's Top 50 "Watch List" for the 2018 Collegiate Player of the Year award.
The Mobile, Ala., native continues to lead the club in wins (9), earned run average (2.18), complete games (9), strikeouts (95) and opponents' batting average (.208). Brown's 95 strikeouts rank 20th nationally entering play this week, and the senior is also second in the SBC in strikeouts looking (32), innings pitched (90.0) and wins. She is also third in opposing batting average and fourth in ERA. Already the program's career strikeout leader, Brown (796) is also just four strike outs shy of becoming the first Jaguar to eclipse the 800-strikeout mark.
The Jaguars will host former Sun Belt Conference member Western Kentucky (17-7) on Wednesday with first pitch versus the Hilltoppers set for 4 p.m. at Jaguar Field.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_Jags. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
Join the Bullpen Club, the softball specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund. Members have access to purchase parking passes and receive Jaguar Softball gear. All donations to the Bullpen Club go directly to support the South Alabama softball program. For more information on how you can join visit: jaguarathleticfund.com/bullpenclub
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